Best ever peanut butter cookies

The title says it all - these are the best ever peanut butter cookies! They're soft in the middle with a strong peanut butter flavor and have the perfect amount of sweetness.

I had a friend reach out to me over the holidays to share that she had made peanut butter cookies and they came out incredibly dry. I had had the same issue earlier this year with another recipe so I knew this was something I wanted to tackle. This recipe has the most incredible texture, just like what we were looking for, so I'm so excited to be sharing it.

The tough thing about peanut butter cookies is that they do have a tendency to dry out from the peanut butter, and you have to balance that with the need to make a dough that can hold the classic criss cross pattern. Because of that classic pattern on top, it's not a cookie that spreads like other dough. That said, of course we still want it to be soft and delicious! This cookie achieves all of that, giving you the classic peanut butter cookie look with a much better texture.

One of the things I love about this cookie is that it's very low maintenance. There is no fancy equipment required and little to no chill time needed prior to scooping and baking. The end result is not only a cookie with an amazing texture on the inside, but also the outside. You'll have the option to roll your cookie dough scoops in granulated sugar and I highly recommend it. It gives an added crunch to the outside and plays so nicely with the saltiness of the peanut butter.

A key part of succeeding with this recipe is to ensure that your butter, egg, and peanut butter are all at room temperature. This will help to bring your ingredients together smoothly and fully for the best end product. I usually take my butter out in the morning and leave it out wrapped (as long as it's not too warm) and then your egg can come out of the fridge about 15-20 minutes before you make your dough. If your peanut butter is in the fridge, just make sure to take out the measured portion from the fridge before you make your dough because mixing cold peanut butter into this dough is not fun - trust me! You can also pop your peanut butter into the microwave for 5-10 seconds if you need to loosen it.

For this recipe, I used a peanut butter without any added oils. The only ingredients were dry roasted peanuts and salt. To ensure the same result, be sure to get peanut butter with peanuts only (added salt is okay!).

This recipe makes a dozen peanut butter cookies, but I'll also share the ingredients needed to make two dozen (because they really are THAT good). For scooping your cookie dough, your cookies should be about 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons in size. I love these scoops from Cook'n Feel (I use the medium scoop usually for cookies) or this large scoop from Oxo.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (8 tablespoons, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter*

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• For rolling: 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

*The peanut butter should be a natural one with no added oils, dry roasted peanuts (and possibly salt) should be the only ingredient.

Total time: Under an hour

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Bake time: 10-12 minutes

Servings: 12 cookies

Equipment:

• Spatula or large spoon

• Cookie sheets

• Scooper (2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons)

• Parchment paper

Cooking instructions:

Before starting, ensure your butter, egg, and peanut butter are all at room temperature. You can put your butter and peanut butter into the microwave separately for 5-10 seconds to soften if needed.

In a large bowl, combine your butter, granulated and brown sugar using a spatula. Continue to mix until there are no streaks of butter and your mixture turns to a light brown color.

Next, add in your egg and vanilla extract and mix to fully combine.

Scoop in your peanut butter and continue to mix with your spatula until your peanut butter is fully incorporated into your mixture.

Add in your all purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Being sure not to over mix, fold in your dry ingredients with your spatula until a dough forms.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Onto to two lined cookie sheets (I used parchment paper) use a cookie scoop or large spoon to portion out your dough. It should make about 12 cookies, 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons per cookie. If your dough feels too soft, place your cookie sheets into the fridge for 15 minutes to quickly firm up.

Measure out your three tablespoons of granulated sugar into a small dish. Roll each cookie dough scoop into your sugar coating it on all sides. Gently press down onto the top of your cookie scoop to lightly flatten your cookie, then you can make your criss cross pattern on the top of your cookie scoops. You can use a fork or I like to make three by three lines using the handle of a utensil or a chopstick.

Place your cookies into the oven to bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Know that they will continue to bake when you take them out of the oven. Allow them to cool and enjoy!

Your cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for a few days or in the fridge. You can also wrap your baked and cooled cookies in plastic wrap and freeze them. You can freeze the dough and bake later but since these cookies don't spread much, I recommend baking the dough when you make it initially and enjoying! If you do want to bake the dough from frozen, bake at 325 for 12-14 minutes.

Carb and serving info:

Servings: 12 cookies

Carbs per serving: 32

Carbs for full recipe: 382

Carbs for rolling sugar: 37.5

Ingredients for two dozen cookies:

• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1 1/2 cup light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• For rolling: 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.